For years we've had Star Trek-level door-opening technology but wasted it on supermarkets and nurse stations. No more! If you're a nerd who's had enough of this egregious misuse of technology and want it in your living quarters, Alex Shakespeare shows you how.

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The process isn't easy, and involves programming an Arduino, some pneumatic valves, a piston, as quiet a compressor as you can find, and, of course, IR sensors. Alex has the source code for the Arduino part hosted on his site, and he demonstrates how everything fits together in the video above. It's probably not practical, especially since most doors in your house can stay open all the time, but this could be a great workshop or office entrance.